(PCM) Hollywood is mourning the death of on of their most beloved canine actors. 13-year old Jack Russell terrier Uggie has sadly passed away after a battle with a prostate tumor. Uggie’s illustrious Hollywood career included award-winning acting roles and even a published memoir.
Uggie’s most famous roles include a large appearance in the 2011 award-winning film “The Artist”, as well as additional memorable roles in film such as “Water For Elephants” and “The Campaign”. Uggie’s performance in “The Artist” won him a Golden Collar Award and the Cannes Film Festival’s Palm Dog Award. Those are considered the world’s top honors for canine actors in the industry. Uggie was also video game company Nintendo’s first-ever spokesdog during their promotion of the popular Nintendo DS game “Nintendogs & Cats”.
Uggie’s memoir titled “My Story” was published in 2012 after Uggie retired from acting. Imprints of his paws are in the iconic cement outside Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Los Angeles. According to his Wikipedia page “Uggie was rejected by at least his first two owners as being too wild. He was about to be sent to a dog pound, but was adopted by animal trainer Omar Von Muller after his friends alerted him to the dog. Von Muller intended only to foster the dog while he found him a new home, but decided that Uggie should stay. He said of the dog, “He was a crazy, very energetic puppy, and who knows what would have happened to him if he [had] gone to the dog pound. But he was very smart and very willing to work. One of the most important thing is that he was not afraid of things. That is what makes or breaks a dog in the movies, whether they are afraid of lights, and noises and being on sets. He gets rewards, like sausages, to encourage him to perform, but that is only a part of it. He works hard.” When not working, Uggie lived in North Hollywood with Von Muller, Von Muller’s wife and Von Muller’s 6-year-old daughter. There are six other dogs in the household, all of whom work in the film industry.
Our sincere condolences go out to Uggie’s family.